Here's another beautiful pattern by Shui Kuen Kozinski, based on the Estonian Star Flower 
Pattern: Fleur de Lis - Shui Koen Kozinski Yarn: Merino Cashmere Nylon Fingering - The Plucky Knitter, Jezebel colorway from Plucky Classics, Big Shouldered Broads, June 2009 Amount Used: 303 yards / 277 meters / 4-1/8 ounces / 118 grams Needles: KnitPicks Options size 5 (3.75mm), 24-inch circulars Modifications: I knit 9 full repeats on each side before grafting in the middle Blocked measurements: 50" length x 11" width This pattern is completely addictive; it took me 9 days of knitting not very fast. It's a very enjoyable knit. And the yarn? I adore this yarn. The feel is soft and squishy, and the drape is divine. Want to know the best part about it? It's hand-dyed by a Michigan artist, The Plucky Knitter.
The stone in my pin is a rare mineral from the Kola Peninsula in Northern Russia, called eudialyte. It's a perfect deep, magenta, red color, with a dark matrix. It compliments the color of Jezebel very well.
Pattern: Canotta Traforata - Mani di Fata Yarn: Berocco Touche' (50% cotton/50% Modal)
Amount Used: 611 yards / 561 meters / 12 ounces / 342 grams Needles: KnitPicks Options size 5 US (3.7 mm) Hook: Size F
I am quite proud of myself, translating this pattern from Italian to English. No, I do not speak Italian. And no, I did not translate the entire pattern. I translated as much as I could, and then basically winged it from there. All I really needed to understand was the chart. I knitted a couple of swatches, figured out my gauge, and improvised as I went along. The crocheted trim was fun to do. Everything worked out perfectly.
I love this top! I hope I will end up loving the yarn just as much. It's my first time using Touche'. It's really soft, and it was a pleasure to knit with, but I hope it holds up all right.
Pattern: Agatha by Elsebeth Lavold, from Book Two - The Sentimental Journey Collection
Yarn: Ming (50% silk / 50% merino wool) by Artfibers
Needles: KnitPicks Options 47-inch circular
 This yarn is so wonderfully soft. Actually, to call this yarn soft would be an insult to Ming, as it is so much more. It's scrumptious, it's divine, it's - heaven. The colors are muted, yet saturated, and distributed perfectly when knit into this top. The yarn itself has a beautiful sheen, and a very slight halo.
 I love Elsebeth's designs. To knit Agatha in Ming was just sheer pleasure for me. I can't remember exactly how much yarn I used. I'll have to figure it out. All I know is that I could knit with Ming forever and not mind one bit.
Pattern: Herrinbone Mittens by Elli Stubenrauch
Needles: Size 4 (3.5mm) KnitPicks Options 47-inch circular
Yarn: Cascade 200 Superwash in MAIZE and BLUE!
Modifications: I changed the cuff to a smaller diameter for a better fit, and I also gave it a rib with a twined herringbone edge. They fit perfectly! Most mitten patterns are too large for me, and I have to alter them anyway. I will make these mittens again. It's a cool pattern, and it's lots of fun to knit. The Superwash Cascade is the perfect yarn, especially for me using a size 4 needle.
 
Pattern: Opus Spicatum by Kate Gagnon
Yarn: Cascade 200 Superwash in MAIZE and BLUE!
Needles: Sizes 6 (4.0mm) and 7 (4.5mm) KnitPicks Options 47-inch circular
Modifications: I changed the number of stitches for the cast on, then knitted more repeats of the pattern.
This design gives me convulsions! Really, my eyes played tricks on me the whole time I knit this hat. I like a more slouchy beret, so I had to really block it severely to get it to shape nicely.
Last year at this time it was cold, so hats and mittens were in order for baseball game days. I'm not sure if I will get to wear these this year, but I'll be all set for next season.
I am so in love with this jacket! I found the perfect yarn, most of it on sale, and I really couldn't be happier with it. I got a great deal on part of the yarn from a shop in DeWitt which closed this past summer, called Lavender and Peonies. I decided to get more yarn, as I wanted longer sleeves with cuffs, so I got the rest at Ewe-Nique Knits in Royal Oak, MI. What a nice shop! I really need to make it a point to stop in again when I visit my niece. Anyway, it was a good thing that I did get more yarn, as I ended up using much more than I originally thought. 
Buttons are from the Button Lady 
Smoky grey mother of pearl on the outside, and smaller ones inside for stabilization 
Pattern: Drops Jacket 103-1 Yarn: Kathmandu Aran by Queensland Collection (85% merino / 10% silk / 5% cashmere) Amount Used: 587 grams / 20-1/2 ounces / 1115 meters / 1216 yards Needles: Size 7 (4.5 mm) KnitPicks Options 24-inch circular Modifications: I changed the length of the sleeves, changed the sleeve caps until I was satisfied with them (took me days, otherwise I would have finished this in a week and a half), added cuffs to the sleeves, and buttons on the cuffs. I can fold the cuffs up to make the sleeves 3/4 length, or lower them to full length, and still have cuffs. Otherwise, I pretty much stuck to the pattern. I made the collar exactly as per the pattern, and I really like it a lot.
For those of you who are moved
to knit for someone else, I have a really simple pattern for you, especially if you want to donate your scarf to the Red Scarf Project this year, but you don't have a lot of time to do it. Crocheters, you can do this in your sleep. This would be a great first project for a new crocheter. The pattern is in my left sidebar, or just click the link: Green Stripe for Red Scarf
If you are so inclined, there is also a PayPal button in my right sidebar which will take you directly to a place where you can donate as little or as much as you want to the Red Scarf Project. The submission period for the next Red Scarf initiative is set for September 1 through December 15, 2008. Please, no more than 5 scarves from any one person or organization. Send scarves to:
Orphan Foundation of America
The Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive
Sterling, VA 20166
 Two years has passed since I started this cardigan. It has been the most painful project I have ever undertaken. It lay in some area of my house until I decided I really wanted to wear it this spring. Early on, I knew that the pattern was not going to work out. It had me wringing my hands and cursing the designer, whose creations I happen to love. I was not happy with the way the lace pattern looked as I increased for the sleeves. I felt that it compromised the integrity of the sleeve seams, given the fact that I was using a cotton yarn which is rather heavy and splits like mad. I thought it would over stretch the seams to have the lace right at the edges. After many starts and stops, I decided to incorporate the increases into the lace after I had enough stitches for one full repeat. There.
But that was nothing. Midstream, I decided to change the size from a large to a medium. I fearlessly forged ahead, not giving a whit about how I was going to change things when it came time to seam. And then it was time to seam. I had extra fabric at the sides. There was no way I was going to rip back for the fortieth time. Wait! I know! In a flash of brilliance, I decided to add a couple of lines of stitching with a sewing machine, cut into the lace, and then seam it together. I grappled with the prospect of that task for two years. Finally, I became brave. Shade your eyes and read no further if you are faint of heart.
I placed a line of slip stitch crochet near the place I wanted to cut off. I pinned it with tissue paper, and reinforced the area with three lines of machine stitching. Then I slept on it, waited a few days, had a drink, and used my Razor Fiskars to cut right into the lace. It was either that, or be faced with the reality that I would never wear this cardigan.
Done. Suddenly, I had energy. I didn't even care that there were a million minute pieces of yarn scattered all over the house, or that I would have to pick out the tissue paper from the seams with tweezers for months afterward. The seams didn't look that bad. It looks like ready to wear. And I am ready to wear it!
Pattern: Victoria by Mags Kandis from Mission Falls Quinte Scrapbook
Yarn: Gedifra Korfu (50% cotton, 50% microfiber), color 88, peach
Amount Used: 1057 yards / 970 meters / 21-1/4 ounces / 606 grams
Needles: Addi Turbo size 6 and 7, and KnitPicks Options size 6 and 7
 Pattern: Matrix by Kerry Palm, knitty.com
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted, turquoise, and Cascade 220, red
Needles: Size 6 US
Amount Used: Not a lot! Lots left over
I LOVE these mittens! They actually fit me well, and they were loads of fun to knit. I changed the cuff and also the thumb, making it shorter. Otherwise, I thought it was a well written, straightforward pattern.
I
used yarn from my stash. Next time, I won’t use Lamb's Pride - although I love
it, it’s just too fuzzy with the Cascade 220. Finally, a pair of
mittens, not felted, which actually FIT me. Almost all mitten patterns
are too large for me. If you have not done fair isle in the past, I
would suggest another pattern. This pattern has fair isle and mitten
shaping with the thumb gusset, so it might be too much for a beginner. However, the thumb
gusset and shaping are very slick with this pattern. Right and left
mittens have their own place in society, and show it with Matrix. Well
done pattern!
Pattern: Top Down Raglan Cardigan # 53, by Gail Tanquary for Ann Norling
Yarn: Classic Worsted Tapestry by Universal Yarn (80% acrylic / 20% wool), Color 7002, Rose Garden, and Encore Worsted by Plymouth (75% acrylic / 25% wool) color 0180 Mauve
Amount Used: Tapestry - 303 yards / 5.4 ounces / 154 grams / 331 meters
Needles: KnitPicks Options sizes 7 and 8, 47-inch circular 
What is not to love about this pattern? So many options, in sizes
and gauge, make it the best top down pattern I have ever come across. Add
to it the character from the Tapestry, and I would say it is a winner!
This is for the little girl, a preemie, of a friend of mine, who will
be 3 months old this month. She can wear it this fall.
I took a vote with the gals in my knitting group about what kind of
topper I should have for the hat: A nice big puffball pompom, or these
little squiggly worms. It was unanimous. The worms won!
.
Pattern: Babies and Bears Cardigan for Adults by Carol Anderson and Kristi Williams Yarn: Mountain Goat by Mountain Colors, 55% mohair/45% wool, Mountain Twilight Silky Wool by Elsebeth Lavold for trim Amount Used: 1122 yds / 1223 meters / 488 grams / 17-1/8 ozs Needles: KnitPicks Options US size 5 (3.75 mm), size 6 (4.0 mm), size 7 (4.5 mm) Modifications: I made the size large, but my gauge was smaller than recommended; it turned out fitting nicely, just as I had hoped. I also made the sleeves shorter than the pattern suggested. There was no great pooling of colors with this yarn, and what little pooling did occur, occurred bilaterally. 
My biggest disappointment is the way the Mountain Goat makes me itch. It felt really good in the store, even when I placed the skein against my neck. However, I planned on wearing this cardigan with a tank top or sleeveless turtleneck underneath, but even my arms itch while wearing this. To get any use out of it, I will have to wear long sleeves, and I really don't do a lot of heavy layering, even in Michigan, unless I am shoveling snow. I like to be cool. Can you just see me lifting my shirt in a yarn store to test the yarn on my skin? I'm sure the shop owners would love that, especially after calling the cops. My next disappointment is the way the button band turned out. I just should have sewn it on after knitting it. I actually began to rip it out and redo it, but decided against it as I just wanted to be finished with it. The sweater is finished with a kitchener seam at the back center. I ripped that out once before I was happy with it. All in all, this is not my favorite sweater. Well, the kiddos are home again for the second time this week with a snow day. I simply cannot work with them in the house all day, which means I will have to work this weekend, probably at night, which means mom has something else about which to be cranky. Grrr!
| 
